The tremors didn't stop. They intensified, rolling through the cavern like the heartbeat of some colossal beast lying in wait. Lucas and I crouched behind a fractured pillar, trying to make sense of the shadows stretching across the walls. The creatures from earlier hadn't pursued us—they seemed almost… aware that something greater had awakened.
I whispered, "It's not just about numbers anymore. That roar… it's intelligent."
Lucas nodded, eyes scanning the darkness. "I've fought monsters before, Elric. But this… whatever it is, it's on a different level."
The river cutting through the chamber bubbled violently. Rocks and debris were thrown into the air, as though the cavern itself objected to our presence. I could feel the vibrations through the soles of my boots, through my very bones. Every instinct screamed for us to retreat, yet retreating blindly could mean being cornered.
I raised my hand, signaling Lucas to hold. "We need to understand its pattern—its movement. Magic and speed alone won't save us if it decides we're prey."
He gritted his teeth, adjusting his grip on his sword. "Then we observe. Wait for the right moment."
From the darkness, a massive shape emerged. Its eyes were unlike any creature I'd ever seen—glowing faintly with malevolent intelligence. Its body was armored in scales that reflected our torchlight, massive limbs ending in claws capable of crushing stone. It exhaled, and a wave of heat rolled over us. I could feel my hair singe, the air stinging my eyes.
Lucas and I instinctively moved into formation, swords raised, magic at the ready. But I knew we were outmatched. This wasn't a fight we could win. Not yet.
I muttered under my breath, "We can't beat it. But we can survive. That's our mission now."
We advanced cautiously, forcing the massive creature to acknowledge our presence. It moved with terrifying speed—far faster than its size should allow. We dodged a swipe of its claw, the force shattering nearby stalactites. Each step it took sent vibrations through the cavern, knocking us off balance if we weren't careful.
I slashed with my sword, aiming for the joints in its limbs. Lucas followed, his attacks more precise, targeting weak points. But the creature's scales deflected most blows, and the few that landed barely made it react.
From above, stalactites rained down. I conjured a sharp gust of wind, diverting the largest ones, while Lucas ducked and rolled, his sword deflecting smaller fragments harmlessly aside.
"This is insane!" he shouted over the roar, voice tinged with awe and fear. "Two first-years… against that!"
I clenched my jaw, keeping my focus. "We adapt. We survive. We retreat if necessary. That's the strategy."
The creature paused, tilting its massive head as if studying us. Then, with a roar that shook every stone in the chamber, it lunged. I barely had time to react, summoning a magical barrier just in time. The impact sent me skidding across the ground, but the shield held long enough for Lucas to strike. He slashed at its flank, hitting a softer scale, and the creature growled in irritation.
I realized then—it wasn't just brute strength. This creature learned. Adapted. Each move we made, it countered. If we kept going, we'd be trapped, exhausted, and killed.
I whispered to Lucas, "We can't keep this up. We need to fall back to the tunnel entrance. The narrow passage will limit its movement."
He hesitated, glancing at the beast, then nodded. "Lead the way."
We moved as a single unit—careful, deliberate. Each step was calculated to avoid triggering a response that could overwhelm us. The cavern's shadows seemed to shift, alive, following our movements. I felt the creature's awareness pressing against my mind—probing, sensing our fear and determination.
Halfway to the tunnel entrance, the ground beneath us cracked. A deep fissure split the floor, forcing us to jump apart. I rolled, catching myself just in time, and cast a small wind spell to divert falling rocks. Lucas was already up, sword ready.
The creature roared again, and I realized we hadn't faced even half of what this mission demanded. Two first-years could only survive this long by luck—and that luck was running thin.
I whispered, voice steady despite the tension, "We report this. We survive. That's all we can do."
Lucas nodded, breathing heavily. "I… I can't believe we made it this far. And the mission description said 'moderate difficulty.' Ha!"
I allowed myself a grim smile. "Moderate for who? Not for two first-years, that's for sure."
We reached a ledge overlooking a narrower part of the cavern. The creature paused, its gaze fixed on us. I could see it weighing its options. And in that pause, I realized: we had bought ourselves time. But only time.
Lucas glanced at me. "We go back?"
I shook my head. "Not yet. We observe. We learn. But if it attacks again—we retreat through the tunnels. Safely. That's the plan."
He nodded, and we crouched behind the rocks, watching. Its size, its power, the way it moved—all of it was beyond what any first-year mission should demand. Yet here we were, surviving, adapting, learning.
The cavern grew darker as the creature shifted, moving deeper into its domain. I knew then: this mission was far from over. And when the rest of the world learned what awaited inside these tunnels, they'd understand why the Adventurer's Guild and the academy filtered missions so carefully. Two first-years standing against such a threat—it was a miracle we'd made it this far.
And as we waited, a cold certainty settled over me: the danger was only going to escalate. Our journey was just beginning.
---
The silence that followed was not relief.
It was pressure—the kind that made every breath heavier, every sound sharper.
Lucas and I crouched behind a jagged rock, the faint glow of my light spell flickering weakly against the endless dark. The creature had retreated into the abyss, but the air still trembled from its presence.
"Think it's gone?" Lucas whispered.
I shook my head. "No. It's waiting. Watching. Trying to figure us out."
He cursed softly. "So much for a 'moderate exploration.'"
The ground under my hand was warm—too warm. I realized then that the tremors weren't just from the beast's movement. The entire cavern was alive, pulsing faintly like a breathing lung. Something in the earth itself was reacting to our presence.
"Lucas," I murmured, "there's more going on here. This isn't just a lair… it's connected to something bigger."
Before he could answer, the faint glow of my spell flickered again—and I realized it wasn't my light that was changing. A dim red hue began to spread across the cavern floor, veins of molten energy seeping from the cracks. It wasn't lava. It was… mana. Raw, uncontrolled, corrupted.
Now let me be clear raw mana is not natural mana. It's a mana supplied through artificial means. As for how ? That varies.
Lucas took a cautious step back. "You're seeing this too, right?"
"Yeah," I replied, tightening my grip on my sword. "This place is saturated with mana. The creature must be feeding on it."
A low rumble echoed through the stone—deep and deliberate. The same presence we'd felt earlier returned: aware, intelligent, and angry. My heartbeat quickened. The mana veins pulsed faster, and faint shapes began to form within the light. Figures. Shadows.
And then they moved.
Dozens of small, spectral creatures crawled from the glowing cracks—wolf-like shapes made of condensed mana, their eyes burning white. They weren't solid, but they were very, very real.
Lucas cursed. "We can't fight all of them!"
"We don't need to," I said quickly. "We hold our ground—create an opening, then retreat toward the upper tunnels. The narrow path will keep them from swarming."
He nodded grimly. "Then we buy time."
He took the left flank; I took the right. As the first wave lunged, my sword sang through the air, slicing through two of the creatures—their bodies dispersing like smoke, only to reform seconds later. Lucas met another group head-on, slashing and stepping back in perfect rhythm.
But no matter how many we cut down, they kept coming. They didn't bleed, didn't tire—and worse, the mana veins pulsed faster with every strike, as if the cavern itself was repairing them.
I focused my mind. "Wind Blade!"
A sharp current sliced through several at once, scattering them briefly. Lucas followed up, striking the core of one specter—a small, glowing shard of mana—and it disintegrated completely.
"That's the weak spot!" I shouted.
He nodded, already targeting the next. We fell into rhythm—dodge, slash, aim for the cores. For a few moments, it worked. But there were too many. The floor trembled again, thunder rolling from below.
The beast was returning.
The mana wolves turned their heads in unison toward the deeper darkness, as if summoned by a greater will. And from the abyss came that same massive shape, now fully visible under the crimson light. Its scales glowed faintly, absorbing the leaking mana—healing itself.
I swallowed hard. "Lucas… we're leaving."
"No argument here," he said quickly. "Path behind us?"
I pointed toward the narrow tunnel we'd entered earlier. "That way. Go!"
We sprinted, dodging between spectral wolves and collapsing stones. The cavern roared—literally roared—as the creature's bellow shook entire sections of the ceiling. Dust rained down, burning my lungs. I threw up a quick barrier of wind to deflect falling debris while Lucas covered the rear, slashing apart any wolf that came too close.
"Faster!" he shouted. "It's gaining!"
"I know!"
We broke into the tunnel, narrower and safer—for now. The creature's claws scraped against the rock, trying to squeeze through. It couldn't fit, but that didn't stop it from trying. The walls trembled with every impact.
Lucas leaned against the wall, panting. "We're alive. Barely."
I forced myself to breathe slowly, my mind racing. "Alive, yes. But not safe. The mission's a trap—this whole site's some kind of corrupted mana zone. That thing… it's feeding the others."
He gave a short, humorless laugh. "You think the professors expected us to deal with this?"
"No," I said quietly. "No sane person would send two first-years here."
The tunnel ahead curved upward. Dim light seeped through—maybe from the surface, maybe from another chamber. We pressed on, still on edge, until we emerged into a wide, circular room. Crystals lined the walls, flickering faintly with the same red glow. The air was stifling.
Lucas broke the silence first. "Elric… look."
At the center of the chamber stood a pedestal. On it rested a faintly glowing crystal, humming with mana. Surrounding it were inscriptions—worn but still legible.
"'Here lies the Heart of the Hollow,'" I read aloud. "'A remnant of the ancient pact between flame and earth.'"
Lucas frowned. "Sounds like a seal."
I nodded. "If that thing down there is tied to this, then maybe this crystal's what's keeping it contained."
"And if it breaks?"
"Then the thing inside goes on a rampage."
We stared at the crystal for a long moment. The red glow pulsed once more—stronger this time. The creature's roar echoed faintly in the distance, closer than it should've been.
Lucas sighed. "We can't fix this."
I nodded grimly. "No. But we can report it. This mission's beyond any student level. We've done enough."
He sheathed his sword. "Then let's leave before the mountain decides to swallow us whole."
But as we turned to go, a faint cracking sound filled the chamber. The crystal on the pedestal flickered… then splintered.
Lucas and I froze. A pulse of raw energy shot through the floor, racing down the tunnel like a living thing.
And then—the roar again. Louder. Furious.
The beast had felt it. And it was coming.
Lucas looked at me. "You have a plan?"
I drew my sword again, though my hands trembled. "Yeah. Survive long enough to make one."